Marking potentially cancerous tissue for subsequent surgical removal, such as marking a lesion in breast tissue for later removal in a lumpectomy procedure, remains a big challenge for the health care system. It is desirable to place tissue markers at locations of interest in patients, sometimes deep within a patient's tissue, that are both small and easily detectable by some type of external scanning device. In addition, any markers that are placed in the body should have a minimal or no MRI image footprint that may obscure anatomical features (e.g., tumors) that may be located in the imaged area. Another important consideration is the complexity of inserting such markers, which vary in size and detection range, so as to minimize pain and discomfort during the procedure.